Accesories to Zippers, The A-Z of where I was to where I want to be

“talk about why you started, and what you hope to accomplish. It’ll be nice to look back on this in six months or a year. Trust me!”

Well, I guess she must be reading a few Fashionista’s mind because I was planning on writing about this and as I read the comments below the questions on IFB I see others were planning on the same thing!! (You didn’t know Janine was a mind reader did you?)

I started my blog a few years ago when I was styling and doing some personal shopping on the side for a few clients. Then I was asked to model in a local fashion show and was featured in our local Juice magazine with the Three Styles of Patrica Hunter because people and papers kept taking pics of me and telling me what a great Sense of Style and Sense of Fashion I had. There it was. There is where the name was given birth. I thought to myself, “I have always been told I have a Sense of Fashion so why not blog about it!”

It was a horrible slow going process. I had been blogging on Blogger for other reasons personally for years but to try and share with others on what my idea and sense of fashion was was a lot harder than I imagined. I didn’t want people to look down on me if they disagreed. I was also afraid to share because I didn’t want others to think of me as Haughty or Prideful. Slowly I kept trudging on but in the end I wanted more than just being a blogger at that time.

Des Moines is great for Technology Startups. There are networking events for Start Up Drinks and Social Media Start Ups and nearly anything having to do with technology. I figured to truly make it here in Des Moines I need to create something that appealed to this bane of cliques in this genre. I had a Web and Social Media business at the time and that was more my bread and butter so I thought the transition would be as easy as creating a great Fashion Community and Portal and people would just flock to sign on!!

The community was going to have Models and Photographers as well as other Designers and Fashionistas all sharing their knowledge and connecting. I thought it was a grand idea where one could ask questions and connect and be helped from all facets. I thought it was fabulous. Well, or so I thought is the key phrase. It dragged as well. I went networking and pitched it at BarCampOmaha and even pitched it to StartUpCityDSM a company that helps Tech Start Ups. I got a few other ideas from BarCamp but when I left StartUpCityDSM I left with my tail between my leg and let their thoughts influence me too much. StartUpCityDSM was helpful, don’t get me wrong, but a room full of investors, launchers and those who knew how to make things happen launching and throwing questions after questions at me of things I didn’t think of, like why would people pay for the site, what was I giving away, who was I connecting with, did I have a business plan and so on, scared the dickens out of me and I don’t scare easily!

I set the blog and the fashion idea out of my head and went back to my bread and butter adding in a side of Freelance for big Companies from time to time. But I hated it. I was miserable. I was an Entrepreneur not a Cube Girl! Why was I living this life? I was not one to do things I did not want to do so why was I doing this when really I wanted to create, design and write about fashion and get back into both sides of the world on the modeling side and the fashion side??

So at the end of last year 2012 I walked into the living room and told my live in boyfriend I wanted to go back into modeling full time, as a PinUp model and I wanted to explore the fashion business again. He sat there quietly and then said, “I have just three questions for you?”

“Is it going to make you happy?”

“Can you make money at it?”

“What do you need from me?”

I answered “Yes, Yes and Support!”

He said, “Ok then do it! I believe in you!

So I started with modeling and have been rebuilding my portfolio.My Model name is Trisha Trixie

So far that has been grand and little by little I have been featured on a few PinUp Sites and this week was asked to be a Ruthless PinUp girl and the Ruthless Fashionista. I am also now the Fashion Blogger for DesMoinesisNotBoring.com and write about Fashion and events that I go to as the Fashionista for SensaFashion around town to prove the fashion is DesMoines is not boring either!! Lastly, I write for myself and my sister/intern writes and assists me with blog writing and things needed for SensaFashion.

I decided two weeks after I heard about IFBCONto go and I won a three night stay at the W Hotel, got a free bracelet from Alex and Ani and met some amazing people and made some amazing contacts! I just knew in my gut I had to go as it would be the launch of my year and it WAS!!

I am also avidly designing and creating for my Vintage Inspired Apron line and also creating Reconstruscted Fashions taking your clothes from Drab to Fab! Not only has the modeling been going well but this has been moving along for me too! I had one order already for a bakery in Jefferson Iowa where we made 6 custom Aprons for her small business.

annnddd… I have been selling my ReConstrusted Fashions at booths and shows around town. I have been trying my hand at a few E-commerce sites but that has been a chore. Every time I wear one of my fashions people beg me for a card and ask “Where can I buy your items? I have tried to direct them to buy online but I felt this last week what I really needed was to be where the people could SEE my fashions and was hoping to find a store I could sell them at by renting space or being on consignment to being since overhead is quite costly.

Well, as the fates would have it my pals have my back and my friend Shari just email introduced myself and her other friend together that has a small business called Cheryl’s Borrowed Occasions where she rents out prom and wedding dresses, shoes and misc accessories. Not only did we discuss renting my items there (would would be wonderful residual income) but she always is possibly interested in having me ReConstruct some of the dresses and items she already has to make them more sellable. We meet next week and I can’t wait to see how this turns out! Stay tuned on my blog to find out!!

To me, my future is now bright. I see this going in the direction I desire it to so I guess we will see in 6 months.

My Future Desires:

I hope to accomplish a full line of Aprons and show at Omaha Fashion Week and one day soon at New York Fashion Week.

I hope to be able to sell in a boutique or store for at least the next 6 months to a year

I hope to have my own boutique in the next two years

I hope to be known as a name in the PinUp industry for TrishaTrixie and SensaFashion for my modeling uniqueness and my amazing fashions

I hope to be published in online and offline magazines and hopefully some widely known ones

I hope to be a speaker at a variety of events in my town and in other places about these accomplishments

I hope to one day be one of the speakers at IFBCON within the next two years if not sooner (wink and smile)

I hope TrishaTrixie and SensaFashion to be names people hear and learn to love!

I am a dreamer and believer.

Failure is only one step to success and I had that so now I am moving on.

I am loving the ride of life I am on (as I generally do) and I have no clue where things WILL go but I know I am going to work as hard and smart as I can to get there. I will use out of the box thinking and my uniqueness to get me there!

Thanks for this challenge. I enjoy being a part of IFB and am so glad I went to IFBCON. It changed my life.